Encounter
Encounter
Huhu. Seeing her come at me from an unexpected angle like this, even the letter was unmistakably hamster-like.
I wanted to say, 'Use your turn signal before cutting in,' but honestly, this one's probably mostly my fault.
"This seems like a personal letter. I'll read it separately..."
"No, Ega?! This doesn't seem like something you can just gloss over and move past like that?"
"I did just read that, right? Right?"
"Well, I feel like I've just learned something I shouldn't have."
So I was right to shoulder this confusion myself. A person should never slack off on being thorough, after all. Just one thing slips a little and you get this mess.
Even Gin had an expression full of regret, as if he'd missed something entertaining, when I got up from my seat, but being the sensible people they were, they kept their distance until I'd read the letter.
I glanced at Asilie, thinking maybe it'd be okay to read it together, but she shook her head with a faint smile, indicating her respect for Esmue.
Having gained everyone's understanding like that, I began reading the letter alone, and it was utterly, consistently Esmue.
[Not once did I foresee a day would come when I would write such words, yet in this feeling that I have not seen you for a month, I count the days waiting for our reunion. The time I shared with you, even if gathered together, amounts to barely a handful of moments in a life, yet that alone has shaken the whole of my years, so you had best not forget the weight of that responsibility.]
...No, maybe she'd get even bolder writing from a distance.
[The chain of events you faced the very day you set foot in the kingdom reached my ears immediately. But to resolve this matter diplomatically, I needed to move with a bit of a grace period. By the time this letter reaches you, the trial will have reached its third day, and Ragnis will be gradually gaining her freedom according to the royal family's plan. Yet even so, this will serve thoroughly to whip the distasteful layabouts of the royal family into action. Had you been unable to contain your temper and moved first, it might have been even faster. I fully believe that is what you would have done.]
It was truly just like Esmue—or I should say, she already grasped most of the situation. In hindsight, going straight through the gate backward and grabbing hold of Esmue's skirt might have been a far faster solution.
Thinking such thoughts, I couldn't help being a little surprised when I read the next sentence.
[Bearing in mind the possibility you might read this in a public place, I put sincerity into the opening lines. For even the most senseless person wouldn't demand you read a love letter aloud. I reckoned you would, with just this alone, arrange a situation to read this letter alone, and so I will speak of the mastermind behind the current affair.]
Just how far ahead did this girl see her moves?
The words about putting sincerity into it made my face feel unnecessarily hot, but separate from that, I couldn't help admiring the cleverness of using that to naturally conceal important information.
The content that followed was something I already knew to a degree by now. Count Bosha's relationship with Ragnis. The royal family and the Noble Council using it. Even why Count Bosha risked so much on a move that looked indistinguishable from a blunder.
[The figure called Envelde always maneuvers with someone to pin his crimes on. This time, he tried to shove that role onto Ragnis. Without you as a variable, Ragnis would have failed to properly gather power and would have faced a situation where she had to concede much to him as her blood relative. I hear the story has changed a bit now, but still, from Envelde's perspective, who hasn't yet given up on Ragnis, he could not tolerate her gaining the formidable position of a bridgehead to the Empire.]
A disposable pawn meant to serve as a puppet or figurehead had to have less standing and power than you if you wanted to control them at will.
The reason he'd tried to buy time with a trial he was bound to lose while preventing Ragnis's power from growing was that he still thought she had a useful purpose for him.
For example, someday taking the fall for all the grounds and charges of this treason and being dragged to the guillotine, buying him extra time for his rebellion to succeed.
[Had it been the ordinary scheming of nobles, Envelde's plan would have proceeded successfully. Though of course, with Itisel's royal family guarded by two seasoned snakes, it could not be called perfect, but he would have certainly blocked her from becoming a bridgehead.]
Two snakes, she said. She clearly meant Duke Lesrom and the King.
[Of course, we are not ordinary, so it did not work. Honestly, if he had anticipated this, he'd be better off as a prophet than a noble, so it's a bit much to judge his abilities too harshly for this.]
He was capable enough to dream of rebellion, at least.
Meaning he had the ability to flip the table, setting aside whether he could hold onto it afterward.
[In any case, from now on I too will actively take a position advocating for Ragnis, so even if Itisel's royal family proves unimaginably incompetent and the trial outcome is poor—a sigh-inducing situation—you can rest easy.]
If warmth could be felt from writing, this would've been a toasty hot pack for sure.
The following content was her personal sentiment that she felt a little sorry toward Ragnis, but was not entirely displeased since this incident gave her an excuse to invite her back to the Empire a bit faster.
Unlike the opening impact, the letter ended neatly, and it was only when I reached the postscript that I learned what the accompanying ring was.
[Your physical prowess is beyond worry, and through the gauntlet, you have some preparation against magic, so this time it's preparation against curses. It was urgently procured, so though it is not exceptionally outstanding, it will reliably block a curse two or three times, so be sure to wear it always.]
A curse-blocking ring. I was so moved I almost teared up.
Honestly, the design was simple yet expensive-looking, so I'd been agonizing over what to do if she'd given it as an engagement ring, but thanks to this, I could wear it without feeling too burdened.
...But how did she know my ring size? Weirdly, it fit my index finger perfectly.
In this ambiguous situation where I couldn't tell if I was burdened or not, I put away the letter with a dumbfounded expression and turned around, and Asilie was the first to react.
"Done?"
"Yeah, Sis. The opening was written that way on purpose so I could read it in secret because of what came after. She already knew about the situation here."
"Should I say that's the Empire for you, or the Imperial Princess for you... That ring?"
"It's a curse-blocking ring."
"Ah, the one we talked about back then."
'Back then' clearly referred to when I collapsed after taking that Demonfolk bastard's head. It seemed this came up during the women's conversation.
"Ega? Would you explain the situation now?"
Rellie had been reacting especially eagerly since earlier. Haha, but now I was invincible thanks to borrowing Esmue's wisdom.
"It was deliberately written that way in preparation for the situation I'm currently undergoing. Making it seem like an extremely personal letter so that the important contents would be seen alone."
"...Ah. A lie."
"It's true."
Of course, if Rellie had asked whether we really had no relationship at all, I'd have been put in the horrible position of genuinely having to lie. Thankfully, the group merely looked disappointed all at once without showing any particular suspicion.
Magnificent, Esmue!
"Then what's the ring?"
"Ah, she said it's a curse-blocking ring. Seems she enclosed it just in case."
"Hmm... You live quite the interesting life, my friend."
"It just sort of happened."
"The idea that such a life 'just sort of happened' is truly absurd, I think..."
Hm? This was a conversation that came with a rare sense of déjà vu.
"Well, it seems things are wrapped up, so shall we depart now, Eldmia? Preparations are complete."
Despite sharing the disappointment of the others, Gies spoke with an air of dignity as if he were wholly unrelated, and I couldn't help looking at him with skeptical eyes.
Come to think of it, even if it was for my sake, if this guy hadn't brought the letter, my heart wouldn't have had to go through all that, would it?
"Why, why are you looking at me like that."
"Aish. Never mind. Let's head back quick. Seems like hurrying is the right move since I suddenly have something to do."
The personal letter aside, I still had the official missive to deliver. This time, after properly exchanging brief farewells with the disappointed others, Asilie and I climbed onto the wyvern with movements that had grown a little familiar.
"We'll return to the capital once things are settled on our side too, so be sure to meet us when everything's sorted out. We couldn't drink properly today, so we still need to catch up over drinks."
"Haha. Understood. I'll see you at the guild next time, then."
I flashed a good-natured smile and waved at Gaendal, and no sooner had we promised to meet again than the wyvern took flight.
Today's trial result was one thing, but I was really starting to wonder what expression Count Bosha would make when he learned the contents of this missive.